We are in the midst of a great transformation, not only economically but psychologically, culturally, politically, in our relations with one another, to the Earth, to other species and to other peoples of the world, and in our concept of ourselves and of our rights and responsibilities as human beings.

To an unprecedented degree, as we approach 2006, millions of us are aware that our present and impending disasters are not natural but man-made, the consequence of our limitless pursuit of capital accumulation.

Up to now the main victims of this have been the peoples of the global South. But now the chickens are coming home to roost. In our own countries, the United States and throughout Europe, there are tens of millions who for decades have been marginalized, living how they can, without any social safety nets, unemployed, disempowered, disenfranchised, disengaged, disrespected, and without a perspective of another positive future.

These people in the so–called informal sector are now being joined by those who through centuries of struggle and sacrifices thought they could look forward to a stable and secure future for themselves and their children.

At this moment and under these circumstances it would be easy to despair. But this universal crisis is not only a danger but a promise, an opportunity to advance ourselves and our societies to a new level, based on a new vision, new principles and values:

* Respect for the limits of the earth
* Responsibility for community and not just for self
* Concern for posterity into the seventh generation
* Partnership instead of patriarchal relations
* A new concept of Work based on use values and skills
* Resistance to commodification of human relationships and of all life
* Local, sustainable and self–reliant economies instead of one global dominant economy
* Diversity instead of monocultures
* Restore the joy of living in community with all creatures
* Practice global citizenship to reserve the best of our historical traditions
* Social justice and cooperation instead of exploitation and competition

WHAT DO WE DO NOW? HOW DO WE GET FROM HERE TO THERE?

WE can begin by restoring our relationships to each other and to the Earth

WE can create gardens, for food, health and to create a community as a basis for resistance, for learning and enjoyment of young and old.

WE can create new subsistence skills to grapple with our present problems and the challenges to come.

WE can transform our schools from job–and–career–oriented institutions to places where children and young people can learn the values of teamwork, serving the community, self–reliance and the joys of creativity

WE can initiate discussions in our communities locally, nationally and internationally on new visions, a new perspective, and the profound historical meaning of the great turning during this time in which we live.

WE can share and spread the word of what people are already doing to create a better world.

This statement emerged from some of the participants in the International Workshop on Self-Organizing and Common Self-Reliance, Cologne, Germany, October 20-22, 2005.

Please show your support by adding your name, place (and if you wish your organization), circulate to your networks, nationally and internationally, and publish where you find it appropriate.

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” --Ernst Friedrich “Fritz” Schumacher (it has wrongly been attributed to Albert Einstein by myself and many others)
From the essay “Small is Beautiful” (distinct from the book) which appeared in The Radical Humanist: volume 37 (1973). The essay begins on p. 18 while the quote appears on p. 22

If you agree with “the Scientists' and Engineers' Pledge To Renounce Weapons of Mass Destruction” located below, then sign it here.

________________________________________
I pledge never to participate in —

the design, development, testing, production, maintenance, targeting, or use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons or their means of delivery;

or in

research or engineering that I have reason to believe will be used by others to do so.

Navdanya means “nine seeds” (symbolizing protection of biological and cultural diversity) and also the “new gift” (for seed as commons, based on the right to save and share seeds. In today's context of biological and ecological destruction, seed savers are the true givers of seed. This gift or “dana” of Navadhanyas (nine seeds) is the ultimate gift – it is a gift of life, of heritage and continuity. Conserving seed is conserving biodiversity, conserving knowledge of the seed and its utilization, conserving culture, conserving sustainability. Navdanya is a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 17 states in India.

“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time; but if you've come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Lila Watson

Thoughts on Life

“Liberty has never come from government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of government. The history of liberty is the history of resistance.”
–Woodrow Wilson

“Understanding is having the ability to see things clearly for what they are and not what they present themselves to be.”
–AZ

“If you're coming to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together …”
–Lilla Watson, Australian aboriginal woman activist, artist

“We have the power to change the world. It is not an issue of whether or not can we make a difference. The truth is that we do make a difference. Everything we do, say and think shapes our reality. It is time that we join our bodies, minds, hearts, spirits and voices and call for peace on the Earth and peace with the Earth.”
–Julia Butterfly

“If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”
–Chinese proverb

”No one who has been thoroughly awake to the real universe would swap
it for a “virtual” one. Our deepest urge is to bring our lives into
direct contact with elemental life. No matter how clever our works,
they will never satisfy our hunger. The likeliest way to achieve
contact with life, the likeliest way to recover our senses, is by
shutting off our machines, climbing out of our cars, our electrified
boxes, walking beyond the pavement to actual dirt or rock, and
opening ourselves to the world we have not made.”
–Scott Russell Sanders

Did the 13th Amendment to the United States of America Constitution outlaw (prohibit) enslavement
(slavery)? NO! Read for yourselves:

“AMENDMENT XIII

“Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865.

“Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the Constitution was superseded by the 13th
amendment.

“Section 1.
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, EXCEPT AS A PUNISHMENT FOR CRIME WHEREOF THE PARTY
SHALL HAVE BEEN DULY CONVICTED, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to
their jurisdiction. [my emphasis]

“Section 2.
“Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
–Source: Constitution of the United States: Amendments 11 – 27 of the National Archives and Records
Administration

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